The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) estimates that 34.4 million people in the EU27, the UK and Switzerland used illicit IPTV services in 2025, 8.9% of those aged 16 to 74. Its report, Illicit IPTV in Europe and North Africa: Economic Report 2026, published in October, says this is double the 17.1 million it estimated for 2021. [1], [2]

The report puts the revenue of illegal IPTV providers in that region at EUR 2.57 billion in 2025, up from EUR 1.06 billion in 2021. It estimates potential annual revenue losses for legal pay-TV providers at EUR 5.84 billion, lost VAT at EUR 1.2 billion and lost corporate tax at EUR 126 million. It also covers six Western Balkan economies and Türkiye, where it estimates 7.1 million users, and Algeria, Egypt and Morocco, with 14.8 million. Among 16 to 24-year-olds, use is estimated at 20% to 24% across the three regions. [1]

The user numbers are modelled. The report multiplies the share of people who watch television online, from Eurostat, by the share who say they knowingly use illegal sources, from EU Intellectual Property Office surveys. It notes that the latest EUIPO survey was run online, which may have led more people to admit piracy than the earlier telephone survey. Prices and the share of paying users come from 1,673 suspected illicit IPTV websites supplied by AAPA members Canal+, Irdeto and Lega Serie A. The loss figure assumes one lost legal subscription for each paying illicit household, and the report describes it as potential. [1]

The report was written by economist Dr Antanina Garanasvili of Gobelin House for AAPA, using the method of a 2019 EUIPO study. It does not cover Asia. [1]

We have not found an equivalent economic estimate for Southeast Asia or Greater China. The closest measure is consumer surveys run by YouGov for the Asia Video Industry Association's Coalition Against Piracy. AVIA's latest industry report, published in December 2025, says its 2025 surveys found illicit streaming devices and pirate sites remain a serious concern across the region, notably in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam. [3]

If you hold IPTV enforcement or monitoring data for markets in Southeast Asia or Greater China, we would like to hear from you.

Sources

1. Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA). Illicit IPTV in Europe and North Africa: Economic Report 2026. Updated edition dated 27 October 2026. English. Author: Dr Antanina Garanasvili, Gobelin House. PDF: report. Accessed 4 November 2026.
2. Advanced Television. Report: Pay-TV providers lost €5.8bn to piracy in 2025. Published 22 October 2026. English. Accessed 4 November 2026.
3. Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA). Asia Video Industry Report 2026. Published December 2025 (PDF). English. Accessed 4 November 2026.